The archive room wasn't big—barely a dozen square meters—but it was packed with documents.
Though the group had the strength to carry the entire archive out, they lacked anything to properly store or transport it all.
So they could only prioritize and collect the most important files.
Kite's En radius extended about forty meters—meaning the approaching Chimera Ants weren't far off.
"Leave it to us," Killua and Gon said in unison.
Clearly, the previous skirmishes hadn't satisfied them. As for Joey, he wasn't the type to voluntarily dive into combat with Chimera Ants. He'd much rather use that time to recover his stamina.
Kite nodded. He did need some breathing room. "Don't go too far. If anything unexpected happens, call for backup immediately. Joey, you go too—no use staying here."
Joey felt like Kite was really good at assigning tasks. But strangely, that made him feel somewhat reassured—like Kite wasn't trying to eliminate him.
In fact, from various actions, Joey got the sense that Kite might even be trying to mentor him, or at least spare him. But why?
Joey didn't get it. Still, he didn't argue, instead stepping out with Gon and Killua.
At the same time, deep within the base—specifically in Zaiyro's so-called "throne room"—the first Chimera Ant appeared.
It looked like a giant shrimp. It held its heavy pincers up like a shield, bracing for possible attacks.
But what greeted it was Killua's lightning-fast form flashing past—and in the next instant, its shrimp-like head was gone.
Killua shook his hand, tossing the severed head aside. "Would've been better if it were a real lobster. This big? Grilled up, probably delicious."
"And you even removed the part we can't eat. So thoughtful," Joey said as he raised his rifle, mimicking Kite's earlier stance, and unloaded a few rounds into the twitching corpse.
Only when it stopped moving did he lower his weapon.
"Sometimes guns are pretty damn handy," Killua muttered.
Nearby, Gon was already on high alert—clearly not in the mood for banter.
Thanks to Joey's gunfire, it became even easier for nearby Chimera Ants to hone in on their location. The sound of multiple sets of footsteps echoed through the tunnels.
Killer Queen materialized beside Joey, partially cloaked in aura, but Sheer Heart Attack wasn't deployed.
Joey wasn't about to recklessly send out the tank without knowing how many enemies were outside.
Losing it without being able to retrieve it would be a real problem—and besides, detonations consumed his stamina. Instead, this seemed like a good time to test his melee combat against a Chimera Ant.
With Killer Queen backing him up, and Gon and Killua nearby, this was Joey's best possible training ground.
So he voiced his idea: "Mind if I take on these small fry myself? I want to try some close combat. Of course, if things get hairy, I'd appreciate the save."
Joey wasn't shy about asking. Human relationships, after all, were about give and take. You help me now, I help you later. That's how trust grew—how friendships lasted.
He'd always dared to take the first step. Back in his original world, that's why he was never short on friends.
Unlike Yoshikage Kira, that twisted bastard. As far as Joey knew, Kira didn't have friends—just coworkers. The guy liked solitude. No—he liked eating meals alone with severed hands.
"You can," Killua answered before Gon could.
Joey gave him a quick smile and nod before walking forward with his Stand to meet the first Chimera Ant stepping into the hall.
The Ant seemed to pick up on Joey's intent—it actually raised a hand to halt its comrades behind it.
It had the head of a horse and a sturdy, muscular build. Its hooves clopped thunderously with each step.
Joey rapidly activated Ten, aura sheathing his body. But when it came time to strike a stance… he hesitated.
He realized he'd only ever watched elderly men in parks practicing tai chi or sword routines. That wasn't going to cut it.
The only actual hand-to-hand experience he had might've been from military training in school—those cheesy self-defense drills.
So he planted his feet and took the starting stance for military-style combat drills. But then he hesitated again. Was this how it began? Start from a horse stance? Or was he supposed to relax first? Maybe he should mimic Wing Chun like Ip Man?
"…Has he never been in a real fight before?" Killua snorted from behind.
"Definitely looks like a beginner," Gon nodded, deadpan. "How did that guy end up leading a drug cartel?"
"These kinds of organizations don't always pick leaders based on fighting ability. Sometimes it's brains, connections," Killua mused, then added, "I mean connections. People skills."
"His nen beast is strong," Gon noted.
Killua nodded, already analyzing. "Yeah, it's similar to Genthru the Bomber, but easier to trigger, and the blast is strong too. If you're fighting him, even the most mundane stuff around you could be dangerous."
"Seems like anything he touches turns into a bomb, and if that bomb touches you, boom. There's some weird inconsistencies, though. Hard to judge after just one look," Gon said, his eyes now glowing slightly.
He had activated Gyo—one of the core Nen techniques from the Four Major Principles. It focused aura into specific parts of the body to enhance them—in this case, his eyes.
With Gyo, Gon could see through In, tracking even the smallest shifts in aura on his opponent's body.
Of course, being able to read aura flow mid-combat took a lot of training and battlefield experience.
As for In, it was a high-level application of Zetsu, used to mask the use of Hatsu, making aura almost invisible to observers.
While Gon and Killua continued analyzing, Joey was already facing down the Chimera Ant.
The Ant struck first. As Joey awkwardly settled into his stance, the horse-headed beast exploded forward with terrifying speed.
But Joey had anticipated it. From its appearance alone, he had already made a basic judgment.
Horses were fast. And not much else, in his mind.
So from the start, he focused all his awareness on tracking its speed.
It didn't disappoint. The Ant rushed exactly as he'd expected—but it wasn't faster than Gon or Killua.
Joey's eyes, now sharp enough to barely keep track of the two prodigies' movements, had no trouble following this creature's charge.
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